When a burnout occurs in the cockpit, sometimes the
consequences can be fatal. Burnout, a term
referred to when speaking of electronic components and
lightbulbs, is also used in medical and psychological
assessments of patients who experience long-term
exhaustion and diminished interest in their work.
High stress jobs can lead to more burnout than normal
ones. Although stress is subjective, people in
the customer service industry, law enforcement, air
traffic controllers, emergency service workers, and
probably airline pilots, seem more prone to burnout
caused by stress.

In January 2008, an Air Canada flight
from Toronto to London had some trouble
over the Atlantic Ocean . I cannot
recall hearing about the incident at the
time, nor could I find any news reports
in archives, however the inevitable
investigation finally concluded in
November, when many of the facts were
reported. Because the flight
diverted to Shannon Airport , an official
report into the incident was issued by
Ireland s Air Accident
Investigation Unit which stated the
co-pilot suffered an emotional
breakdown. He began talking
in a rambling and disjointed
manner, then refused to observe safety
procedures and was belligerent and
uncooperative. The captain ordered
other crewmembers to remove him from the
cockpit and restrain him for the duration
of the flight.

I could find no report which diagnosed
the cause of this mans behavior other
than one which described it as an
emotional breakdown.
To be clear, nothing in this
article is intended to judge or explain
what occurred. Whatever this
fellow suffered from, I sincerely hope
hes been treated for it and has
healed. We all know the strict
regulations faced by pilots when it comes
to medical exams. We know too that
there are ways and methods to
(temporarily) get around some medical
issues, and that there is no definitive
testing for every mental problem.

Stress can be considered an emotional
problem and a definitive diagnosis can be
difficult. Denial on the part of
the patient is common. Either he
is in conscious denial of his problems,
or simply doesnt understand
whats happening. A perfect
example is where a person presents with
physical manifestations such as
headaches, dizziness, gastro-intestinal
dysfunction, sleep disruptions, loss of
appetite or unexplained abdominal pain.
Nothing of a physical nature can
be found in testing, and when questioned
regarding his stress level, he denies any
stress in his life. Further
inquiries into his home life, job, family
and financial situations may reveal a
large mortgage, plumbing repairs needed,
a demanding boss and work environment,
two troubled teen-age children, and
perhaps some big debts. In other
words, the everyday problems faced by so
many people in society that we consider
it all as normal. Whats to
be stressed about?

Although insidious,
the stress is very real, and over
time wears the person down, grinds away
in his mind, until if untreated, burnout
occurs. His mind, similar to the
light bulb, is simply unable to handle
the heat any longer. When
it snaps, it does different things to
different people. The extreme has
been described as going
postal. If it was the cause
of the co-pilots behavior in the
incident in this article, over 150 people
were endangered by stress.

I have seen patients in the burnout
stage. Ive seen them in
denial, and others who simply didnt
have a grip on what was happening to
them. And having gone through most
of it on a personal level, I often ask
the question, How can the aviation
medical examiner possibly screen every
pilot for stress that is occurring or is
likely to occur? My last
Category 1 medical exam lasted less than
10 minutes (extra for the ECG and
paperwork). In my opinion,
its nowhere near enough time to dig
into a persons mind and discover
the early warning signs. But does
anyone have an answer to how Transport
Canada could guarantee a persons
physical and mental health before issuing
his medical certificate?

A system is in place, and like any
system, its not perfectly
fool-proof. If this Air Canada
co-pilot broke down due to an emotional
issue, it really doesnt surprise
me. If it were a medical issue,
such as diabetes, drug related, clinical
depression (undiagnosed) or even a fight
with his wife that caused his behavior
that day in January, there is still no
way to predict every possibility.
We do the best we can. We install
back-ups wherever possible, and live with
the risks.

One final comment would be that each of
us has the responsibility to accept and
cooperate with the intent of the laws and
regulations that are designed for the
good of all. That means that as
pilots, who have the lives of others in
our hands, we dont knowingly deny
problems in discussions with the aviation
medical examiners. Several years
ago, an incident involving an airline
pilot who had hidden his diabetes from
his employer, almost cost the lives of
his passengers one night.

It also means that we need to accept when the time comes
that we’re no longer able to be safe in the cockpit.
Flying is a wonderful, exciting and fulfilling way to
make a living. As pilots, we’re fortunate to
experience all it has to offer. But there
are other professions that can be just as rewarding, and
when the time is right, we accept that’s where we’ll be.